I’m co-hosting a bridal shower in a couple of weeks, and I’m responsible for picking out the wine – including a bubbly for the toast. Because I’m picking up a fair amount of wine for the event, I’m trying to pick out quality, value-priced wines. I’m also trying to find wines that appeal to a non-wine-drinking audience, without resorting to Beringer White Zinfandel.

Thus far, I know I’m bringing a couple of bottles of the Spanish Navarra region Red Guitar, which is a light and fun red. I’m also bringing some Gazela Vinho Verde, which is almost like drinking Sprite, but so much better. I’m still in search of the perfect Sauvignon Blanc for this event (which is not necessarily MY perfect SB) that has a lot of fruity characteristics. Last night I worked on the bubbly.

I picked up two sparklers at Party Town on Sunday: the Barefoot Bubbly from California’s Barefoot Cellars ($6.99) and the Segura Viudas Cava Brut Reserva ($7.99). I’m hanging on to the cava review until WBW. (Yep – it’s open to sparklers too folks!)

The Barefoot Bubbly was a good deal. It’s a 100% chardonnay sparkler, with a lot of fruit and flowers on the nose. The color is pale gold, with a lot of tiny bubbles. Those tiny bubbles were almost fizzy on the tongue. It has a lot of crisp pear flavors, as well as a sweetness. It’s not overwhelming though – we’ve all had overly sweet sparklers. This is a moderate sweetness that would probably complement the sweets we may have at the party. However, I did notice an almost (but not quite) sour aftertaste.

Overall, I found this sparkler to be pleasant and fun. It’s not a complex wine, but it’s not trying to be. It just might hit the spot on a hot summer afternoon. For $6.99 this is a great deal and its’ definitely a wine I would buy again.